[HPforGrownups] Re: Ludo Bagman Is Ever So Evil

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 34242

('Curiouser and curiouser', said Alice.)

On Saturday evening my husband referred to someone as a 'bagman', using it 
not in its dictionary definition (travelling salesman), but as slang, for a 
lackey, one who merely carries another's bag.

Ah-ha! thought I. Is this another of those significant names, or not? And if 
it is, who's bag is he carrying?

Having always had my doubts about Bagman, I was about to trawl through the 
books to see what evidence there was when, lo and behold, I log on and find 
that Cindy, bless her cotton socks, has done it for me.

Cindy, I'm with you.  I'm not convinced that he was actually an inner circle 
DE (I think we might have seen some kind of suspicious interaction between 
him and Snape or Karkaroff), but I strongly suspect he has some involvement.

There is something in the scene after Harry's name comes out of the goblet 
which I don't think you mentioned: his reaction to Moody/Crouch when he does 
one of those showing-off bits - you know, when he tells us exactly what he's 
doing, but we don't realise it.

"'Maybe someone's hoping Potter *is* going to die for it,' said Moody.......
Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and 
down on his feet and said, 'Moody, old man...what a thing to say!'"

Well, perhaps it's all innocent, but it could just as well be Bagman not 
wanting Crouch to give the game away.

This whole sub-plot seems almost too worked-out...too worked out for the 
amount of suspicion it throws on Bagman in my mind at least. How many people 
think of Bagman I wonder when Voldy speaks of the three missing DEs in the 
graveyard?   Perhaps JKR is just enjoying twisting another thread into the 
story, but there generally seems to be some reason for these things, so why 
give us such a complex thread about a relatively minor character, who 
*apparently* has no bearing on the main story.

At the very least, it must be a preparation for things to come and it seems 
likely that he will return in later books. IMO, it is likely that we will 
find the MoM infiltrated by Voldy's supporters and we have a ready made 
candidate here. He's already known to have passed on information. We don't 
know whether accidentally or not. Perhaps he is a bumbling fool, whom Voldy 
can exploit, perhaps it's an act, a la p-p-p-poor P-P-Professor Quirrel.

Not wishing to condemn the man without a proper trial, I think the biggest 
argument against Bagman's involvement is the fact that Crouch Jr doesn't 
mention it. But then, Veritaserum doesn't necessarilly make you tell the 
*whole* truth and Dumbledore doesn't ask him if anyone else was involved. 
Perhaps it's rather convenient that the Dementor finished him off when he 
did. 

Eloise (with apologies to Alexander for wasting his time on this pointless 
discussion. Just in case you have.)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]